Monthly Archives: February 2017

Last week FIU’s Black Student Union hosted an interview and Q&A event staring Issa Rae, YouTube personality and HBO star as their speaker in honor of Black History month. During the event Issa Rae speaks on what it was like to grow up being an awkward black girl in a society where she didn’t necessarily fit into the social norms at the time of what it meant “to be black”, and how these experiences help her shape her creativity. Rae reveals that’s she would like to use her platform to reshape the way that society views people of color in media specifically the view of Black women who are being oppressed on two fronts for being women and being of color. During the Q&A section Rae gives advice to aspiring writers and producers on how to stay true to themselves in their work and know that when they are doing something they are passionate about they have to be prepared to defend it.

Film Gate Interactive Media Festival celebrated its fourth annual conference this past week at the University of Miami with a line-up full of industry innovators. The festival has served as fertile ground for discussion and exploration of all things film, with a keen interest in technological trends in the field of filmmaking and how these in turn influence commercial products like interactive media and virtual reality. This year it had a lot to say on how filmmaking trends are changing today’s most wide-spread form of storytelling: marketing and advertising. The festival opened on Saturday with a networking brunch where attendees had a chance to meet with the various speakers and check out the hands-on workshops sponsored by names like Sony and Red Digital Cinema.

If you’ve seen Marking the Infinite, the Frost Art Museum’s current exhibition of Australian aboriginal women’s art, you might be especially interested in Tanna, one of this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Foreign Film. Set on the eponymous south pacific island, Tanna tells the story of two warring tribes who must learn to deal with the repercussions when their young adults decide to disobey their orders. If you have yet to see the Frost exhibit or are thinking about attending the shorts screenings and performances that will close it, this would be a great film to whet your appetite.

Are this year’s Oscars another parade of safe Hollywood self-congratulation or a courageous vote of confidence for under-recognized artists? Well, some of both. The list of nominees was released on January 24th and came with a quite a few surprises. This list of nominations breaks several records, offers several first time nominations, and even cements a comeback story. So, without further ado, here are the highlights of the nominees.

As the awards season draws to a close, it is time to reflect and remember the films that brought as great experiences in 2016. In celebration of award season, we asked you, what film you thought deserved to be recognized as the best 2016 had to offer. Here are the top results as voted by you.

FilmGate is celebrating the art of digital storytelling at its fourth annual Interactive Media Festival at the University of Miami’s School of Communications. FilmGate invites one and all who are passionate about film, media, and/or technology with the intention of bringing together innovative and international artists that seek to breathe new life into their stories through developing technologies like Interactive Media, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality Projects. FIU Students and Staff can get a $30 discount with the code “FIU”. If this sounds like something that’s up your alley, check out our breakdown of the 3 day festival.